Eleven college athletes representing multiple sports and universities nationwide have joined forces in a class action lawsuit targeting the NCAA over its newly revised eligibility rules.
The federal lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Colorado. Among the named plaintiffs are Minnesota basketball player Cade Tyson and Northern Colorado basketball player Brock Wisne. The group alleges that the NCAA’s updated rules unlawfully cut off thousands of student-athletes from additional eligibility — and, by extension, from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) earning opportunities.
Earlier this summer, the NCAA overhauled its eligibility framework by establishing a universal five-year window for all athletes. However, the organization chose not to apply that rule retroactively to athletes who had already used up their eligibility heading into the 2025-26 season — the very group that stood to benefit most from the change.
The lawsuit contends that thousands of athletes have been wrongfully denied a fifth year of competition as a result.
Rob Shelquist, a partner at Cuneo Gilbert Flannery & LaDuca, LLP, spoke on behalf of the plaintiffs. “These athletes aren’t asking for special treatment,” he said. “They’re asking to not be singled out and excluded from the NCAA’s eligibility framework. The NCAA updated the rules but refused to apply them only to the very group that was most immediately affected.”
Shelquist continued: “If the NCAA has determined that five years of eligibility is the fair rule for college athletes, then athletes who would still be eligible but for completing four years of eligibility should not be deprived of the same educational, athletic, and NIL opportunities.”
Beyond Tyson and Wisne, the lawsuit names nine additional plaintiffs competing in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and track and field: Anthony Johnson of Arizona State, Louie Jordan of Radford, Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro of California State, Isaiah Jones of South Florida, Aidan Shaw of Boston College, Dimond Loosli of Penn State, Jake Morell of Seattle, Aislin Malcolm of Robert Morris, and Abigail Jefferies of Long Island.
The outcome of the case could have significant consequences. A ruling in the athletes’ favor could strike down the NCAA’s new rule entirely, while a ruling for the NCAA could actually reinforce its position. The decision could also influence a number of similar lawsuits currently making their way through state courts.
Just last week, an Ohio judge ruled in favor of 24 athletes in one such state-level case. Despite that outcome, an NCAA cabinet publicly responded that “we do not intend to change course.”
